Why the homesteaders moved on to the Plains

This is a worksheet that can be used as a cut and stick or a card sort. There are versions for higher and lower ability students. Feedback can lead to discussion on how factors link together.

Students look at and decide upon the push, pull and enabling factors. They then decide on 2-3 which were the most important, 3-4 which were very important, 8-10 which were quite important and 2-3 which were less important. They can explain their opinions on importance.
Finally students can categorise the reasons into:-
Government action, Railroads, Problems in Europe, The end of the Civil War, Manifest Destiny and propaganda, Technology, Others.

This can lead to an essay or exam answer on the reasons that the homesteaders moved on to the Plains.